For four years, we’ve harped on the same theme -- for Michigan hockey to be successful it needed better goaltending.

Don’t look now, but after a 6-2 win at Minnesota Thursday night that elevated U-M into first place in the Big Ten (35 to 33 points), the Wolverines are getting high-level goalie play from senior Steve Racine.

“This was one of Steve’s best games he’s played all year,” said junior Alex Kile, who notched the first hat trick of his tenure. “Coming into the end of season, we need our goaltending to be rock solid and these past few weeks he’s been really good.”

The final score of 6-2 looks like a blowout, especially considering Minnesota scored both its goals in the final three minutes after the U-M defense relaxed, but for 50 minutes of play, this was a tight 2-0 game, and Racine was critical, making 12 second-period saves, including three on a Gopher power play with the Maize and Blue leading by just one.

“It could have been a different game if Steve Racine didn’t make some key saves at key times in the game,” head coach Red Berenson said. “When a goalie is playing well he makes tough saves look easy, and I think he did that.”

Now 15-2-3 on the year, ranking second nationally with an .825 winning percentage, Racine deflected in the post-game press conference, giving credit to his teammates.

“I was seeing the puck pretty well all night … our defensemen did a good job clearing them out of my way,” he said. “When I can see the puck it makes it an easier job making saves.”

While Racine’s goals against average over the past 14 games remains high (2.82 per game), his save percentage of .919 is strong, indicating the competency of his performance.

Racine was, arguably, the MVP of Thursday’s big win, but Kile wasn’t far behind, staking Michigan to a 1-0 lead at 11:19 of the first period, a 2-0 lead at 12:22 of the second and a 4-0 lead at 14:52 of the third, essentially finishing off any idea of a Gophers’ comeback with his third tally.

“It was cool at the time because we were winning 3-0 and the game could have gone either way,” Kile said. “That was my first hat trick in five years so it feels good.”

Freshman let winger Kyle Connor, who came in third in our unofficial media poll of Michigan’s most deserving Hobey Baker Award candidates earlier this week, made his case, with a pair of markers, including a power-play tally at 11:54 of the third that gave U-M a 3-0 advantage.

He now ranks second nationally, behind junior teammate Tyler Motte (28 goals), with 25 markers on the year, and continues to lead the country with 1.83 points per game. He extended his point streak to 18 games.

Motte saw his goal-scoring streak end at 12 games, but did have an assist while junior center JT Compher ran his point streak to 12 contests with a pair of assists, including the deft cross-ice pass to Connor on the third goal.

Michigan has been down this road before, though, and still has something to prove, beating the Gophers 8-3 in December only to fall 3-2 in the series finale at Yost Ice Arena the following night. If U-M loses tonight (9pm, Big Ten Network), it would fall one point back of Minnesota in the Big Ten race.

A win would put the Wolverines five points up on the Maroon and Gold with just four games remaining.

“We’re in first place right now, and whoever comes out on top this weekend probably will win the Big Ten, in my opinion,” said Kile, noting U-M has to finish off Minnesota.